San Francisco, January 10, 2011 – Level Playing Field Institute is the
recipient of a $30,000 grant from The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm
of Verizon, to support its Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH) on
the UC Berkeley and Stanford campuses, and its year-round Communications and
Social Technology program (SMASHCAST) for SMASH scholars.

SMASH provides high-achieving,
low-income, high school students of color with three years of rigorous science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) summer courses and year-round
academic and mentoring support. SMASH prepares young scholars to excel in STEM
fields so that they can enter and succeed in selective colleges and graduate
schools.

“I am thrilled that Verizon shares our belief in the urgency of
providing high achieving students of color with access to challenging STEM
coursework, specifically preparing them for high-tech careers of the future,"
said Level Playing Field Institute Executive Director Robert Schwartz, Ed.D. “Our
partnership will help close the opportunity gap for hundreds of African
American, Latino/a, Native American, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander
students who show great promise to be our future technology leaders.”

The students selected for SMASH have strong aptitude for
STEM subjects and are often among the top students at their high schools.
Nevertheless, because of a lack of resources both at school and home to prepare
them for college, they face significant barriers to navigate a path to genuine
academic achievement and learning. With
this important support from Verizon, SMASH scholars receive the education and
access to technology resources that allow them to compete with students from
more advantageous circumstances.

About SMASH
Academy (www.lpfi.org/smash)The Summer
Math & Science Honors Academy
began on the UC Berkeley campus in 2004 to close the STEM opportunity gap for
students of color. Currently serving more
than 200 scholars and alumni, SMASH is expanding to college campuses
nationwide.

About
SMASHCAST (http://www.smashcast.org/)
SMASHCAST is the Communications And Social Technology program of SMASH.
The class meets on two Saturdays each month, year-round, providing students
with an opportunity to further their interests in new media. Students use their proclivity for math and
science to explore media technology and create video projects. SMASHCAST was recently hired by the UNITY Journalists of color to document
their NewU Startup Camp.

About Level Playing Field Institute (www.lpfi.org)Level Playing Field Institute is a Bay Area-based non-profit
organization that works to increase fairness in education and the workplace by
closing the opportunity gap.

About the Verizon Foundation (http://foundation.verizon.com)
The Verizon Foundation aims to improve literacy and strengthen educational
achievement for children and adults by preparing them for success in the 21st
Century. The Foundation invests in education and literacy initiatives that
leverage innovative technology and interactive learning to increase 21st
century skills for children and adults.